During our travels through London, we visited several museums that truly embodied the experience of World War II for the British people. These included the Imperial War Museum and Bletchley Park. Throughout the past semester we learned a great deal about the pride and resiliency of the British civilians during the war. At the Imperial War Museum and Bletchley Park, these characteristics became evident in the portrayal of the impact of World War II on everyday people, and how the war changed their lives.
On May 11, we took a train out to Bletchley Park, about a 40-minute ride outside of the city center. Even as we entered the visitors center it was clear that this site would very much illustrate the experiences of British civilians in the war effort. Inside the visitor’s center there was an exhibit with a video about women and the war effort that continually played on a loop. This video almost played like an ad, convincing ordinary citizens of the importance of the role women took on at Bletchley Park. While in actuality it was not an ad, because Bletchley Park was a secret, it still showed the immense pride these women had in the work they were doing to help decode the German Enigma code. After we entered the park we took a guided tour. As our guide, Sheila, led us around the various huts and blocks that comprise Bletchley Park, she explained where many of those who worked at Bletchley came from. Many of them were young women, who had proved to be skilled at solving puzzles and logic problems. These women often came from different social classes, but they came together for a common cause at Bletchley Park. This break down of the social classes was one of the lasting effects of the war effort in Britain. Other individuals were summoned from universities like Oxford and Cambridge. Among those was the famous code breaker, Alan Turing. Most of the individuals working at Bletchley Park were civilians and had no military experience. This really helped emphasized the “total war” aspects of World War II and showed how each citizen played their part in helping to defeat Nazi Germany.
The next day we travelled to the Imperial War Museum, where this theme of pride and resiliency was evident in the emphasis on the civilian efforts and sacrifices during the war. As I walked into the museum, it seemed that it would only be about the military efforts; the very first exhibits on the ground floor were V1 and V2 rockets. However, as we explored the museum, it became clear that the impact of the war on everyday citizens was embedded deep into each aspect of the story the museum had to tell. In the World War II exhibit, I specifically remember a case containing the arm bands of the various civil servant units. Along with displays such as this, the museum had an entire section dedicated to the “People’s War.” This exhibit followed the story of one family who lived in London during the Blitz and clearly portrayed their resiliency in maintaining their daily lives during the bombings of 1939-1940. This emphasis on the stories of individuals rather than of militaries is a clear theme in British history. While we learned much about the pride and resiliency of the British people in class, it is very different to see how it is portrayed by the people that those events actually affected. From museum’s like Bletchley Park and the Imperial War Museum, it is clear that Britain places great importance on more than just the history of their military during World War II. The sacrifices and heroism of the everyday Brit have a special place in the history of Allied victory in World War II.
Armbands and hats of the British civil service units – taken at the Imperial War Museum.